红与黑

回溯2012年的汽车业，我们发现，许多车企原本可以走上一马平川的康庄大道，但最后却由于人为因素，把坦途走成了“山路十八弯”。意外状况的确时有发生，但有些却是可以避免的。以下就是几个掌舵人走错路的例子。还有几个案例，则是他们在走上弯路后，又重回正轨。

Naughty and nice

Tracking the year 2012 in autos reveals an unusual number of straightaways that were transformed into hairpins and switchbacks by human folly. Yes, stuff happens, but some stuff is more avoidable than others. Here are some notable instances where drivers behind the wheel failed to negotiate the curves -- and a couple of instances where, thank goodness, they did.

预测未来的水晶球失灵之一

日产（Nissan）CEO卡洛斯高森2010年曾预测道，到2014年，日产将在全球卖出50万辆聆风（Leaf）电动车。目前日产离这个销量目标还差得很远。今年11月，高森本人也承认，即便2012年聆风在美国的销售目标只有20,000台，日产离这个目标也差得很远。事实上，它就算想追平2011年的9,674台的销量数据也不是件容易的事。

Cloudy crystal ball dept. #1

In 2010, CEO Carlos Ghosn predicted Nissan would be selling 500,000 Leafs worldwide by 2014. He has a lot of ground to make up. In November, Ghosn conceded that sales of the all-electric Leaf would not reach its far more modest U.S. goal of just 20,000 in 2012. In fact, it will struggle to match its 2011 total of 9,674.

预测未来的水晶球失灵失灵之二

2010年初，菲亚特-克莱斯勒（Fiat-Chrysler）的CEO塞尔吉奥•马基奥尼曾表示，到2012年末，阿尔法罗密欧（Alfa Romeo）品牌将重新登陆美国市场，届时将推出一款中型轿车、一款运动旅行车和一款跨界车。到2011年9月，菲亚特-克莱斯勒官方表示，这三款车型的上市计划已经取消了，阿尔法罗密欧重新登陆美国的时间也将被推迟到2013年，而不是2012年。而且第一款在美国上市的车型将是4C跑车。但事实上，阿尔法罗密欧登陆美国的计划还是一拖再拖。今年9月，马基奥尼对经销商表示，阿尔法罗密欧的回归还将进一步推迟，第一款车型可能得等到2014年才能在美上市。

Cloudy crystal ball dept. #2

In early 2010, Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said Alfa Romeo would be relaunched in the U.S market by late 2012, with a mid-size sedan, a sport wagon, and a crossover. By September, 2011, officials were saying that plans for all three models had been scrapped; the Alfa brand would be reintroduced to the U.S. in 2013, not 2012; and the first model to reach these shores would be the 4C sports car. But delays continue to pile up: This fall, Marchionne told dealers that Alfa's return would be further postponed, and the first car would not be arriving until 2014.

2011最差车型的救赎

尽管顾客可能并不在乎，但汽车评测人员却给了2012本田思域（Honda Civic）不少差评，称它造型平庸、内饰粗糙、操控性一般。本田则表示会做出改变。本田美国高级副总裁约翰•蒙代尔表示：“我们会认真对待反馈，不管它来自什么人，而且我们也会迅速做出相应动作。”事实上他们也的确这样做了。本田提前一年对思域启动了中期改款，将它的外观和内饰都进行了重新设计，增加了一些标准配置，同时改进了驾驶体验。一位评测人员在《汽车趋势》（Motor Trend）杂志中写道：“本田似乎又找回了理想状态。”

Most disliked car of 2011 redeemed

Although customers didn't seem to mind, reviewers panned the 2012 Honda Civic (above) for its bland styling, cheesy interior, and indifferent handling, so Honda promised a change. "We take feedback seriously, regardless of who it's from, and we will act accordingly quickly," John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president, said at the time. They did. Honda bumped up its planned mid-cycle refresh ahead by a year, redesigning the Civic inside and out, adding standard features and improving driving dynamics. Wrote an admiring reviewer for Motor Trend: "Honda appears to have gotten its groove back."

2012年最差车型出炉

雪佛兰（Chevy）的Malibu Eco轿车由于内部空间狭窄、燃油经济性差以及价格过高等原因，遭到了异口同声的口诛笔伐，因而在今年年中的最受差评车型排行榜上荣膺榜首。通用汽车（General Motors）CEO丹•阿克森对《汽车新闻》（Automotive News）表示，迈瑞宝（Malibu）也将提前迎来改款。阿克森没有宣布任何细节，不过他对Malibu的改款仍然保持信心：“我认为它是一辆好车，它会好起来的。”

Most disliked car of 2012

Chevy's Malibu Eco was the hands-down leader at midyear for most-disliked honors, winning near-universal criticism for its lack of interior space, poor fuel economy, and high price. With sales weak, General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) CEO Dan Akerson has revealed to Automotive News that Malibu, too, would receive an earlier-than-scheduled facelift. No details were announced, and Akerson kept his enthusiasm about the redo in check. "I think it's a good car. It'll do OK."

最大的销量喜剧

去年，克莱斯勒只卖出不到20,000辆菲亚特500，只达到了预期的一半左右。而今年到目前为止，克莱斯勒已经卖出了超过3.6万辆菲亚特500。这究竟是怎么回来？原来菲亚特拿下了由好莱坞女星珍妮弗•洛佩兹主演的一个有争议的广告，重新上了一个主要针对女性顾客的广告，并且给产品线增加了一个名叫“阿巴斯”（Abarth）的高性能版本，它的马力要比普通版本高出60%。2013年，菲亚特500还将推出一款“500L”，也就是它的四门加长版。

Biggest sales surprise: The good kind

Last year, Chrysler sold fewer than 20,000 Fiat 500s -- about half as many as expected. So far this year, it has sold more than 36,000 of the tiny cars. What changed? Fiat canceled a controversial ad campaign starring Jennifer Lopez, redirected a marketing campaign aimed mostly at women, and added the high-performance Abarth version with 60% more horsepower. Coming in 2013 is another model variant, the 500L -- that's "L" for large -- that will have four doors instead of two.

最大的销量悲剧

今年上市的道奇达特（Dodge Dart）可谓开局不利。11月份的销量比10月有所下跌，而且克莱斯勒已经积压了112天的存货。评测人员普遍认为，作为一款紧凑车型，道奇达特没有什么可向消费者推荐的亮点。克莱斯勒表示无须为此担心，这是一个选择的问题。克莱斯勒的一位发言人称：“我们只是还没弄清楚，顾客到底想要哪些配置。”不过到12月初，道奇达特的存货已经积压了40,000台，显然道奇达特也应像菲亚特500一样有所行动。克莱斯勒希望明年推出一款引擎马力更大的高性能R/T版本扭转颓势。

Biggest sales surprise: Not-so-good kind

Launched this spring, Dodge's Dart has stumbled coming out of the gate. Sales fell in November from the month before, and Chrysler has accumulated a 112-day supply. Reviewers found little in the Dart to recommend to buyers shopping for a compact car. Not to worry, Chrysler says, it is a problem about choices: "We just haven't figured out what configurations our customers want," a spokesperson said. But with 40,000 unsold Darts on the ground at the beginning of December, Dart needs a Fiat-style reboot. It hopes to get one when a super-slick R/T model with a bigger engine arrives in the new year.

底特律的坏消息之一

丰田（Toyota）一度曾是美国最大的汽车零售品牌。今年11月，丰田以87台的微弱优势击败雪佛兰，成为美国销量第二的汽车品牌（包括批量销售）。凯美瑞（Camry）作丰田最畅销的车型迎来了五年以来销量最大的一个月，而雪佛兰最畅销的Silverado皮卡却由于雪佛兰拿不出像竞争对手那样大的优惠而出现下跌。因此Silverado皮卡出现了139天的巨额存货积压，雪佛兰不得不在12月推出了姗姗来迟的现金优惠。

Bad news for Detroit

For some time, Toyota (TM) has been the largest selling retail brand in America. In November,Toyota became the second-best-selling brand overall (fleet sales included) beating Chevrolet by 87 units. Sales of Camry, Toyota's best-selling model, enjoyed their best month in five years, while sales of the Silverado pickup, Chevy's most popular model, plunged when Chevy declined to match incentives offered by competitors. Left with huge inventories of unsold trucks, a 139-day supply, Chevy belatedly put some more cash on the hood in December.

底特律的坏消息未完待续

美国最大的汽车残值评估机构ALG近日预测了22个汽车细分市场的2013款车型3年后的保值率，即其残值与销售价格的百分比，看看届时哪款车型最为保值。结果底特律没有一款车型上榜。本田和讴歌（Acura）成了主流和高级品牌中的赢家，而在所有上榜车型中，来自丰田的车型最多。就连一向被美国品牌垄断的皮卡领域，丰田的Dundra皮卡也打败了福特（Ford）F-150、雪佛兰Silverado和道奇Ram，成为最保值的皮卡。

More bad news for Detroit

ALG, formerly Automobile Lease Guide, identified the 2013 models in each of 22 -- count 'em, 22 -- segments that are forecast to retain the highest percentage of their sticker price after three years of ownership. Not a single one came from the Detroit Three. Honda and Acura were the winning mainstream and premium brands, while Toyota had the highest number of top-ranked models. It even swept the pickup category, formerly an all-American segment, with Tundra beating out Ford F-150, Silverado, and Dodge Ram.

最出人意料的高层洗牌

史蒂芬•雅各布（左）作为沃尔沃（Volvo）汽车公司的CEO一向以作风强硬出名，但近日他由于与董事会就公司战略方向问题发生矛盾，被迫离职。他的麻烦据说从2010年沃尔沃前CEO汉斯•奥洛夫•奥尔森再次加盟公司并担任副总裁的时候就已经开始了。奥尔森曾于2000至2005年间担任沃尔沃的CEO。董事会用另一名瑞典人哈坎•萨缪尔森取代了在德国出生的雅各布。

Most surprising management change

Stefan Jacoby (left), the hard-charging CEO of Volvo Cars, was driven out of the company after clashing with his board of directors over strategic direction. His troubles are said to have begun when Hans-Olov Olsson (right), who was Volvo's CEO from 2000 to 2005, rejoined the company as vice chairman in 2010. The German-born Jacoby was replaced by another Swede, Hakan Samuelsson.

最意料之中的高层换血

菲斯克汽车公司（Fisker Automotive）一向麻烦不断，CEO权柄的归属也可谓一波三折。先是创始人亨里克•菲斯克（左）在今年二月将位子让给工厂专家、前克莱斯勒高管汤姆•莱索达（中），莱索达又于今年八月将位子让给原通用汽车的混合动力汽车大师托尼•波萨瓦兹（右）。菲斯克公司的插电式混合动力轿车Karma的上市时间已经推迟两年了，而且还有许多电子问题没有解决。现在这家公司正在试图筹措资金，以保持公司继续运转。

Least surprising management changes

The CEO wheel at struggling Fisker Automotive made three full turns: founder Henrik Fisker (left) gave way to factory expert and ex-Chrysler executive Tom LaSorda (center) in February, and LaSorda, in turn, gave way to GM's former hybrid car guru Tony Posawatz (right) in August. Fisker is two years late getting its plug-in Karma into production, and the car has been plagued with electrical problems. It is out trying to raise money to stay in business.

现代“油耗门”

现代起亚集团（Hyundai/Kia）今年11月承认，他们夸大了90万辆2011至2013年出厂的汽车的续航里程。其中包扩2013款雅绅特（Accent）、飞思（Veloster）、伊兰特（Elantra）在内的6款车型此前标出的续航里程均为每加仑40英里，但实际它们的续航里程为每加仑37到38英里。现代起亚集团将出资对消费者的这一部分燃油里程误差进行补偿，另外还会支付15%的额外补偿，为此现代可能会花费上亿美元。

Hypermiling, lap #1

Hyundai/Kia admitted in November that it overstated the mileage ratings on 900,000 2011-13 vehicles. Six models that it previously rated at 40 miles per gallon, including the 2013 Accent, Veloster, and Elantra, have been reclassified at 37 or 38 mpg. Hyundai is compensating affected owners by picking up the tab for the additional lifetime fuel costs associated with the rating adjustment -- plus a 15% premium. Its total bill could top $100 million.

福特“油耗门”

今年12月，《消费者报告》杂志（Consumer Reports ）和一些独立评测人员发现，福特的Fusion和C-Max混合动力车的实际油耗也与厂家宣称的数字不符。厂家宣称福特Fusion和C-Max的油耗为每加仑47英里，但实测后发现，Fusion每加仑汽油只能跑39英里，C-Max更是只能跑37英里。福特则回应称：“驾驶方式、驾驶环境和其它因素都能导致油耗变化。”美国环保局（EPA）表示将介入调查，而一旦确定福特的确涉嫌虚假陈述，福特可能将面临民事处罚。

译者：朴成奎

Hypermiling, lap #2

In December, Consumer Reports and some independent reviewers found that Ford's Fusion and C-Max hybrids can't match their mpg claims either. Instead of the 47 mpg Ford (F, Fortune 500) claimed, the Fusion got 39 mpg in real-world testing, and the C-Max got 37 mpg. Ford's response, in part: "Driving styles, driving conditions, and other factors can cause mileage to vary." The EPA said it would investigate, and Ford could face civil penalties if it was found to have misstated claims.